Free / cheap food sources

[miboje]

Here is some suggestions for getting free or cheap food:

* Join your local CSA - It may cost you nothing in exchange for working hours in the garden. Check Local Harvest / Farmers Markets / Family Farms / CSA / Organic Food to see what is available in your area.

* Wild foraging! - Our wild strawberries are done here, but wild raspberries are in! Then it will be blueberries and blackberries. And it’s all free! If you live in the city, take a drive to the country. Ask local family member if they have anything growing on their property that you may harvest. Know what you are foraging, of course! My fiance’s mom has morel mushrooms growing on her property that she does not want.

*Canning clubs - A friend of mine and I started a local canning club. We are growing only paste tomatoes this year. A select number of families are part of the club. We all went together on buying tomato plants (our seedlings did not make it), and we all planted, and will weed, harvest, and can together as a group. Each family should get about 12 quarts of paste tomatoes for an investment of $8 for 40 tomato plants (we have a local amish-owned greenhouse, and her prices are so cheap!), and $4 for organic compost. Canners are lended by members who have them, and everyone supplies their own jars.

* Grow your own - I have 4 gardens, a small orchard, brambles, and blueberry bushes. It's not too late to think about growing cool weather crops if you don't yet have a garden. No need to dig one up if you don't have one, either. You can build and plant a lasagne garden all in one day! No digging, tilling and very little weeding needed! Check it out here: Lasagna Gardening 101. I got all the materials to build my layer garden for free! I also got all the materials to build my greenhouse for free, except hinges and screws. Now, if we could just get the time to build it! I got a small woodstove at an auction for $50 so I can extend my growing season in the greenhouse. Mmmmm fresh, organic spinach, turnips, and more! Check here for more: Planting a Fall Garden with Cool Weather Crops. Can’t grow a garden in your back yard because it is too small, or you are not allowed? Inner-city gardens are popping up! Don’t have a local one? Talk to your family / friends and see if you could all get together to start one. Check around for vacant lots that could be rented or donated, or call your local city officials to see if they would be willing to rent or donate a lot for a community garden. Maybe you have family or friend close by that have enough land that you could “borrow” some space to plant in. This book is chock full of advice and resource ideas: Food Not Lawns: How to Turn Your Yard into a Garden And Your Neighborhood into a Community

* Join freecycle and craigslist - Right now someone is offering free pear trees in my area. On craigslist, someone offered free growing space and use of their greenhouse locally! Someone recently offered veggie plants as well. You never know. Check the ‘Free’ ads.

* Buy or find locally and in season – Watch for growers’ specials. Right now, a local strawberry grower is offering pick-your-own strawberries for $1.25 qt. I have my own ever-bearing strawberries which gives us, a family of four, a steady supply of fresh ones. I can buy local brown free-range eggs for $1 a dozen. In the fall, watch for signs for free food. I often see signs for free pears and walnuts. Who knows what might be available in your area.

* Buy in bulk – I am fortunate enough to have a bulk food store close by where I can get my whole wheat flour, oat flour, ground flax seed, and yeast in bulk. She can special order things for me from her catalog as well. I can also buy fruits by the bushel locally. Which leads me to....

* Canning, drying and other methods of food preservation ensure your food supply for the longer term along with growing your own. I purchased my canning supplies at local auctions. Watch or post on craigslist and your freecycle for canning supplies as well. The library has a multitude of food preservation info, along with reputable sources on the internet, if you need to know how. Ask around. Maybe someone has canning supplies they don’t use anymore.

I'm sure others could add more.

[binga]

awesome info
thanks !

[tomswife]

You are so lucky to live in an area with all those resouces. I just came back from visiting my parents (300 miles away) and we went out and picked strawberries for $.75 a pound. Even in our farmers market they are at least 3.00 a pound. And my parents have wild blackberries growing by the street a half mile from there house. Nothing like that here. I don't know how many hundreds of dollars I spent on my garden and 3/4 of my crop dies every year. I decided this was my last year with a garden. Can't afford it.
Just wishing there was more resources around here that didn't cost an arm and a leg.

[killerblues]

Our Salvation Army will have squash and other veggies for free sometimes. I found this out when I was shopping there when I was in college. When these veggies come in the farmers sometimes can't get rid of the (and other gardeners) so they just drop them off at the Salvation Army and they give them away. It's great.

At my work people will bring in their extra produce from their gardens and it is a first come first serve kinda thing. Sometimes people don't realize how many tomatoes/etc they will end up with.

And on the other hand, if you have extra food from your kitchen/garden, share with someone you know needs the help. When I have left overs that are on the edge of going bad, I take them to work and me and my coworkers eat together and the food doesn't get wasted.

May we all be successful!

[wcwendy]

Bumping

[miboje]

Thanks for bumping!

Tomswife - I live in a repressed rural area. I guess that has it's advantages. You probably already did it, but here is my suggestion; It may do you well to get in contact with your local county extension agent for some advice. They can also do a soil test to see if there are any problems for you there. Sorry I cannot suggest anything else. You may have already given up on it permanently.

I have a surplus of turnips right now. I will be putting them on freecycle to see if there are any takers. A friend suggested giving to our local food bank, which is an excellent idea. They only take stuff at the end of the month, though. I hope they are still good by then.

[RuthieG]

It doesn't take much to grow your own and a veggie plant in a pot looks just as good as any other plant...and it blooms as well. I do some canning, freezing and drying of my excess. I also live in a rural area and my yard, is full of deer trying to get their mouths through my garden fence...I share my garden area with an Aussie so everything I do is in raised beds and it works out great, looks great and is much easier on me because I am the proverbial "Little Old Lady".

[wcwendy]

Originally Posted by RuthieG

...my yard, is full of deer trying to get their mouths through my garden fence...

Picturing this made me giggle!